News & Views

Cell walls in grasses contain arabinoxylan polysaccharides decorated with ferulate groups but the mechanism by which the ferulate is attached to arabinoxylans has long remained unknown. A new study shows that ferulate is transferred to arabinoxylan from a 3,6-di-O-feruloyl sucrose intermediate formed in a sucrose ferulate cycle.

Transposable elements frequently invade centromeres, yet their influence on centromere function has long been enigmatic. A new study reveals that epigenetic silencing of centromeric transposable elements is essential for chromosome cohesion and proper segregation during cell division.

Genomic and phenotypic screening of the A. E. Watkins landrace wheat collection identifies beneficial novel haplotypes demonstrated to improve modern wheat without negative linkage drag or pleiotropy.

The PIN-FORMED (PIN) auxin efflux carriers in the plasma membrane are activated by the D6 serine/threonine protein kinase (D6PK). A recent study reveals how D6PK is anchored to membranes and trafficked between the plasma membrane and transport vesicles.

Plants constantly adjust their gene expression and metabolism to thrive in diverse environments. In legume root nodules, the surprising role of zinc as an intracellular messenger links environmental changes to transcriptional control.

Characterization of Rmg8, the major resistance gene for wheat blast found in common wheat, brought a surprise: it is a variant of Pm4, a resistance gene for powdery mildew disease. Both genes recognize the AVR-Rmg8 gene of the wheat blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae pathotype Triticum (MoT), which results in resistance against this pathogen. This discovery opens avenues for developing wheat varieties to combat wheat blast disease.

Two groups of scientists independently engineer gene drives in Arabidopsis thaliana, demonstrating the possibility for spreading fitness-reducing genetic modifications through wild populations of plants for population suppression.

Creation of a plastid genome without an inverted repeat in Nicotiana tabacum reveals a role for the inverted repeat in gene dosage and the regulation of replication by total DNA content rather than copy number.

The nuclear pore is known as a large protein complex for the transport of macromolecules between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Comprehensive proteomic analyses revealed a novel role of the nuclear pore complex as a platform for the coordinated regulation of the flow from transcription to translation.

Owing to its size and complexity, the genome of modern sugarcane has never been previously assembled in its entirety, which leaves it as one of the last remaining major crop species without a reference genome. The newly completed polyploid assembly of an archetypal modern hybrid reveals the complexities of sugarcane’s genetic past, and presents new opportunities for the researchers and breeders invested in its future.

The functions of a small family of non-secreted peptides, originally identified as critical communicators of the plant’s iron status, have expanded. The involvement of these effectors in disparate signalling cascades underlines the pivotal role peptides have in responses to the environment.

Plant species diversity declines from tropical to temperate latitudes. Local neighbourhood interactions among species that favour heterospecifics over conspecifics may have a role in shaping this latitudinal diversity gradient, but perhaps not as traditionally thought.

BZR/BES transcription factors are widely recognized as mediators of brassinosteroid (BR)-responsive gene expression in seed plants, but details of how they act in species that lack BR perception are unclear. A study now uncovers an ancient mission of a BZR/BES transcription factor in sexual organ development in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha.

Compartmentalization of specialized compounds in glandular trichomes is essential for plant protection against stresses and attraction of pollinators. This compartmentalization is achieved by the establishment of a lignin-based apoplastic barrier named ‘neck strip’, which is present in trichomes of diverse plant species.

Rhizosphere microbiomes are shaped by both the environment and the host. A recent study of the maize microbiome reveals how plants recruit a specific microbiome to alleviate abiotic stress, and provides clues for precision microbiome engineering in agriculture.

Two studies report the use of paternal haploids to enable one-step transfer of cytoplasmic male sterility in maize and broccoli, which resolves a key technical bottleneck in hybrid crop breeding.

Cell edges are part of a coordinate system used by the cell to direct three-dimensional growth in an organized manner. They emerge as signalling hubs with unique composition, capable of sensing mechanical stresses derived from neighbouring cells, to negotiate and harmonize individual cellular growth rates, therefore avoiding mechanical conflict.

Plants regulate their microbiota to cope with diverse stresses. A recent study shows that rice maintains homeostasis of its phyllosphere microbiome through a secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene, which offers potential for harnessing microbiome-shaping genes in disease-resistance breeding.

The effect of DNA methylation on gene expression has been known for decades. However, the mechanism by which DNA methylation functions to repress transcription has remained a major question in the field. Wang et al. now narrow this gap through their examination of the methylation binding protein MBD2 and expose how DNA methylation is read upstream of transcriptional repression.

The Lycopodium alkaloids represent a valuable source of neuroactive compounds. The biosynthesis of these specialized metabolites is now shown to involve three α-carbonic anhydrase-like enzymes that are responsible for constructing the key carbon–carbon bonds within their distinctive polycyclic alkaloid structures.